Bella Naploli!

Naples!!!  So excited to finally have the opportunity to explore this world-famous city, and meet up with another local ATS® belly dancer Tribal Parthenope.  With only one day in Naples, our priorities are clear: PIZZA! And maybe a museum...

  

Vesuvius From The Ferry

This morning we decided to take the ferry from our home base in Sorrento to Naples instead of the local Circum Vesuvianna train. To get to the ferry terminal we had to walk up to Sorrento from Marina Grande through the stone arched gates, and then down again to Marina Piccolo where the ferry docks are.  You can either take the steep stone staircase located at Piazza Tasso or take the city elevator located near the church and convent of San Francesco.  We decided to save time and shell out the €3 to take the elevator which brings you down to the "beach" which is actually a boardwalk next to Marina Piccolo. 

Good Morning Napoli!

We purchased our ferry tickets and hopped on board the small hydrofoil boat, which departed immediately. The 35-minute boat ride was beautiful and sunny; sailing past Mount Vesuvius got us marvelling at how surreal it was that were just up there! Also, seeing the Bay of Naples from the water was a real treat, because it was off-season, the boats to all the Amalfi Coast towns were not up and running yet. The tourist shoulder season usually starts in April; still well over a week away.

We landed at Molo Beverello the ferry dock in Naples and walked a short distance to the Piazza del Plebbiscito- what a gorgeous and grand piazza! (see picture at the top of this post) The church on the square has a rounded dome, and the arched columns out front make this Duomo look like the Roman Pantheon. The Royal Palace was under restoration and covered in scaffolding and netting, so we could only imagine the grandeur beneath the tarps. I was hoping to see the statues of the past Kings of Naples that surround the Palace. Spanish, French, Norman and German kings all ruled Naples at one point in time.  Naples was really a multinational city all the way back to its ancient Greek roots; Neo=New+Opolis=City. We would also love to have gone inside the Palace to see the riches; but we were on a timeline to meet our new friend at 1:00 after we visit the Archaeology Museum.

Beautiful Streets

We walked across the piazza and turned right to go straight up Via Toledo. To our right just past the Royal Palace was the massive Galleria Umberto; a gorgeous Victorian shopping mall. TIP #1: there is a popular shop here called "Sfogliatelle Mary" that is supposed to be the best sfogliatelle in Naples... We missed the entrance to the Galleria Umberto, and I was pretty bummed out.  I was on a mission to try this famous Neopolitan pastry and bring one back for our new friend Simone.  To be honest, Naples seemed pretty intense right from the start.  I did not feel "unsafe" in any way at all; but all the noise, people and energy bouncing around that city can be really overwhelming for most North Americans if you are not expecting it.  My eyes got sore because there was just so MUCH to look at!  It takes a while to adjust to it; so I threw out all my expectations for the day to see what would unfold for us.
  




Continuing uphill on Via Toledo (which connects the Piazza Pubblicità to the National Archaeological Museum) we passed by all the designer shops, and had a visual taste of all the beautiful and fashionable Neapolitans at work and play.  Seriously, there is something in the water here; so MANY beautiful people. I also loved all the little medieval alleyways you peer into off Via Toledo as you walk by; they look so inviting to wander down and explore. I got a sinking feeling that one day was nowhere near enough time for Naples.

Toro Farnese

The National Archeological Museum is in an old University and felt like a palace. TIP #2: IF YOU CAN, visit the museum BEFORE you go to Pompeii so you can truly understand and appreciate the grandeur of the ancient Roman culture and civilization at the time of its demise.  To find hours and ticket info:  National Archaeology Museum.  The MANN is CLOSED on TUESDAYS! 
The main floor of the museum has all of the statues from the Farnese Collection; taken from Rome's Baths of Caracalla including the famous Toro Farnese or Farnese Bull.  The Greek myth of Dirce seems to be one of Pompeii's favourite stories, and the museum is full of frescoes, statues and mosaics of this myth of ancient justice.  

Hercules 

We did not purchase the MANN audio tour.  Instead, we again enlisted our Rick Steves: Naples and the Amalfi Coast book that has a great walking tour through the Museum.
The Farnese Hercules was one of my favourite pieces and is jaw-dropping.  Hercules was also found in 1546 in Rome's Baths of Caracalla; just like the Toro Farnese but in pieces.  Hercules' head was actually found down a well in Trastevere and his original legs were not reunited with him until 1787!
It is so interesting to see the restorations done on these statues in the mid-1500s by Michelangelo, Della Porta, and their contemporaries.

Museo Archeologico

Up the gorgeous staircase to the mezzanine level is a collection of beautiful mosaics taken from Pompeii.  The colours of these mosaics are so bright and the details so precise.  Most of the mosaics here were taken from Pompeii's House of the Faun and you can see the original famous Dancing Faun statue here.  Actually, all of the original artwork of Pompei is here in the museum and the copies remain at Pompeii. 

Mosaics From Pompeii

There is also a "Secret Room" full of erotic art: pottery, mosaics and frescoes.  Liam found this room before we did, and all of a sudden the museum became a lot more interesting to a 15-year-old-boy-what a surprise!
The top floor is a collection of more artifacts from Pompeii; many of them gorgeous frescoes that used to decorate the villas of the wealthy.  The Great Hall has a super cool sundial built into the marble floor that at noon every day will tell you what time of year it is according to the zodiac!

Coffee Break At Scaturchio

We did not spend too much time exploring the top floor of the museum; 2 hours is our maximum for most museums.  Besides, we had a 1:00 date with Tribal Parthenope, Margo who is a native of Napoli. We were meeting Margo on her short lunch break at Piazza San Domenico, just off of Spaccanapoli.  We walked 10 minutes down the hill and through a big arched gate called Porto D'Alba into the vibrant neighbourhood called Spaccanapoli, after the street that divides Naples (the name literally means "split Naples").  This is my favourite place in Naples!  It is absolutely ALIVE!  
We met Margo in the Piazza.  She is a wonderful, kind, warm and drop-dead gorgeous belly dancer from Naples!  Margo took us for a coffee at one of the best bars in Naples: SCATURCHIO in Spaccanapoli.  Margo told us this is the best coffee in all of Italy here.  She was right, there is something different about Neopolitan coffee.  At Scaturchio they roast all their coffee on this historical site and the pastries are insane.  Margo also helped us purchase a variety of sweets to take home for later; Sfgogiatelle (2 kinds), baba al rhum, and Zeppole (only available around March 19 St Joseph's feast day).  Check out www.scaturchio.it when in Naples.
TIP #2: In Italy, you pay first at the register and then give your receipt to the person at the counter to get your coffee or pastry. 

Pizzaria Vessi

Next Margo took us on a stroll down the street in search of lunch...which you gotta know was pizza!  She recommended Vesi Pizzeria, a small place that was jam-packed with locals. Margo helped set us up with beers, and menus and our pizza order; but sadly she could not stay.  There was so much I wanted to talk to her about: her beautiful city, the ATS® dance scene in Naples and really to get to know her better. Margo recommended a few nice things to do that afternoon like stroll along the waterfront promenade or perhaps go to Naples Underground. We planned to stay in touch with Margo over our phones and perhaps spend another day in Naples near the end of our visit to the Sorrento area.  
Sadly, Margo was gone before our pizza arrived :( OH, BUT THE PIZZA!!!  You have not had real pizza until you have pizza in Naples. That's it. We had a Caprese salad with buffalo mozzarella cheese, a pizza Margarita for Liam, a house special pizza for Luke and I was dying to try the pizza Marinara.  The Marinara is the original pizza that was invented by fishermen to take along as lunch on the boats.  Just crust with tomato sauce, oregano and a few tiny chunks of garlic in the centre with olive oil drizzled on top (wood-fired oven-baked of course).  So simple, yet SO GOOD! 

Frescoed Ceilings

We decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at "Napoli Sotterranea" or Naples Underground. We got a bit confused and turned around looking for the entrance to the underground archaeological site, but it was such a great feast for the eyes walking around and feeling like you are in one big street party.  Truth be told, I just wanted to walk around and shop and be part of the scene.   We thought we had found the entrance to Napoli Sotterranea because of all the banners hanging outside, but it was the "LA NEAPOLIS Sotterrata" and was part of the Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore complex; a church built in the day of St. Francis.  The entrance fee was quite steep for what we saw. We totally understand and appreciate entrance fees because it takes a lot of capital to maintain these sights. This time, unfortunately, we did not think it was worth it.  We also could not find the way into the basilica and the museum to take a look around it was actually in another part of the complex.  TIP #3: THIS IS NOT NAPLES UNDERGROUND. 

 Actually putting out banners with almost the same name is a sneaky way of getting tourists to think this the original Naples Underground tour. We missed the English speaking tour that afternoon.  The staff here were totally unhelpful at first; because Luke only asked them questions in English and the cashier staff only spoke Italian. There was no audio guide to purchase but, once we poked the staff a bit in our very broken Italian, they told us we could use the free wifi to download an app that is a guided video tour in English. So we looked around a bit in the cloisters of the convent attached to the basilica and marvelled at the still intact frescoes and then found the staircase to take us underground.  There is an interesting ancient Roman marketplace here that is reminiscent of the market stalls in Herculaneum. They date back to 470's BCE, and the basilica used the brick and stone base as a foundation once Christianity dictated a giant place of worship was needed.  It was interesting, but a bit disappointing because it was a very small area compared to what we read about Naples Underground: Roman cisterns, theatres and marketplaces.  Liam was the most disappointed; it was the only thing he was really looking forward to in Naples-even more than the pizza!

Roman Ruins Under Naples

We decided to head back home to Marina Grande in Sorrento, figuring it was pushing into the rush hour.  We used Maps.Me to navigate us back to the Garibaldi train station.  I am not going to sugar coat this: the walk to the station from the busy Spaccanapoli area is not at all pretty or comfortable. 
This is where you feel uncomfortable; run-down buildings with piles of garbage on the street and rough-looking men staring you down on the sidewalk.  I did NOT feel unsafe, but rather my discomfort was my inner alert to walk like I know where I was going, and keep my wits about me (basically not look like a dumb tourist).  Goddess help anyone who tries to pry my pastries outta my hands!!!  We trudged downstairs and packed into the Circumvesuvianna train car (apparently it's always rush hour in Naples) happy to be going back to our calm and quiet fisherman's cottage by the sea.

Once home decided to grab some dinner supplies from the Deco Market.  With our delectable goodies from Naples, we popped in to see Simone at the counter.  As promised, we opened the box of pastry selections and offered Simone first choice.  He chose a sfogliatelle and we recounted our adventures of the day in the urban Italian jungle.  We were sad we only planned one day for Naples because we had no idea how beautiful (yet intense and exhausting) the city is.  But the best part of the day was; we had made two new Italian friends.  

This is why we love to travel.



A video of the cool 1791 sundial in the Museo Archeologico of Napoli: